The Lewes After School Program (LASP) is sponsored by the Lewes Presbyterian Church (LPC) and serves children who attend Richard A. Shields Elementary School in Lewes, Delaware. LASP operates at LPC from 3:15 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. each regular school day. LASP is licensed as an after school program for school age children by the Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing.

The Program

The program is conducted by a staff of four who are assisted by a number of community volunteers and resource professionals. Teachers and staff at Shields Elementary School identify students who would benefit from the program. In the 2016-17 academic year 30 students attended the program.
LASP provides a variety of experiences for the children as part of their afternoon. The emphasis is on academics with homework help, tutoring and academic enrichment, “Jump Bunch” physical fitness, games and recreation, character development, mentoring, arts and crafts including quilting, art show, music, technology and cultural activities.

Partnership

There is an active partnership between the school and the after school program. The Shields Assistant Principal and the after school Program Director work together in the referral process. With parent permission, the school provides appropriate student information after the children are enrolled in LASP. The Assistant Principal is a member of the LASP Advisory Committee. The Shields Principal meets periodically with LASP leaders to plan activities and review progress. The school social worker and the Assistant Principal confer with the Program Director about student concerns and appropriate strategies for addressing those concerns.

LASP has achieved success over the last eight years as a 21st Century Community Learning Center program.

Goals

The three program goals are:

Increase academic achievement in reading and math.

Increase school connectedness (Involvement) of families and children.

Develop strength of character and positive behavior.

Many of the children reach the goals and virtually all of them demonstrate academic improvement and personal development when participating in the LASP program.

Volunteers

Community volunteers help in assisting the children. Volunteers include:

LPC church members

Retired teachers

LEAP program volunteers

“Big Brothers/Big Sisters”

Ocean Wave Quilters

Other community members

One volunteer translated newsletters, forms, and other printed family information for our Spanish language parents.

Members of the LEAP program (Literacy Education Assistance Pups), both owner and dog, come once a week to engage the children in reading.

Funding

For the last 10 years, a primary source of funding has been through a federal program administered by the Delaware Department of Education. A school's eligibility for this funding is determined by its percentage of low income students. Unfortunately, Shields is NOT eligible for this upcoming 2018-2019 school year. Despite this, LPC and Shields are committed to continuing the program and helping students succeed in school and in life. Currently, our basic enrollment of 15 students will require a minimum of $9,000 more to operate this school year starting September 2018. However, past programs have enrolled more than 30 students annually so the more money we can generate, the more young lives we can positively impact.

For additional information on attendance and scholastic statistics for past participants, read our full story on www.gofundme.com. To volunteer or for additional information, please contact Teresa Lockerman, Program Director, (302) 228-3586, tlockerman@mchsi.com. The money you donate to this worthy cause not only helps the students but their families and our community as well. Please donate by either making checks payable to: Lewes Presbyterian Church (on the memo line 'Support LASP') OR online at https://www.gofundme.com/LewesAfterSchoolProgram.

All donations are made via secure payment processing and can be withdrawn at any time by the Fundraising Treasurer. To be added to our online team and share our story, please e-mail dianafogg@gmail.com. Help us spread the word!

If you would like to donate to this program financially or to volunteer, please contact Lewes Presbyterian Church.
Phone: 302.645.5345 • Fax: 302.645.2743 • E-Mail: lpchurch@gmail.com